Difficult Roads often lead to Beautiful Destinations

Cogs are turning albeit slowly. So I thought I would share some insights into my experience of setting up and sustaining an independent business.

British Art has been rocked to the core and is still suffering lag from the effects of Austerity Britain. So what possessed me, to go independently seeking financial support for other people’s art?

For the record I have an excellent relationship with my current clients. Even so, the reality is that I have very little in the way of a safety net, or tangible investment. My every move is laced with inherent risk. As tactical as you can be, there will always be illusive unpaid invoices, which you chase into the sunset, clients who never confirm and projects with ever shifting goal posts. I’m privileged to be my own boss, in what I believe in. But it’s not for the faint hearted.

News of the financial crash broke in 2008 while I was working as an Education Officer for an Arts Centre in Berkshire. I had graduated with a degree Arts Event Management from the Arts University Bournemouth in 2007.

I realised that I was unlikely to achieve a step forward in my career by targeting arts centre jobs, where there is little mobility. RFOs or Regularly Funded Organisations, would start to loose their funding over a matter of years, including ourselves.

I started to think about designing a business I could run independently, centring on my strongest abilities for communication, networking, creative writing, strategy and evaluation. My business model would also need to be flexible enough to allow for my own professional development, since just like everyone else, I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

The biggest challenge I face is convincing newcomers of my abilities. So I offer free consultations, which opens conversations with new clients. This is usually enough to know if we will be able to work together. I give my advice freely, because success breeds and I have confidence in the added value I can provide to a developing project. A strong project will almost incubate itself, without need for constant recycling.

I have learned not to take on anything that I'm not very confident in. Producing live art shows requires a delicate blend of input, timing, confidence and context.

At these early stages I’m feeding myself as much as my clients.  Each new project gives me fresh, hands-on, experience. Market research is invaluable but true knowledge is hard to fake. At the moment the process teaches me what working hours to attribute to each job.

My one-woman empire requires 100% personal input. It would be a huge challenge to freelance in anything I did not genuinely enjoy. Yet I become careworn and frustrated by it. The biggest downer is the stop / start cash flow of being a start up. I take a break when I get mixed up. It's foolish to believe that because you have chosen your own professional path, that every day will be a pleasure. In fact it's much harder to discern when to stop, because there is no clocking off point.

I take risks. I make difficult decisions. I actively persuade others into and out of strategic business decisions. My income is irregular. My service is myself. If I get sick, disillusioned, confused or overwhelmed, then that is entirely my own problem. There's no training programme. There's no hard evidence yet. But so far I love it, because I can see the potential in myself that I see in my clients. It’s a two way street. I negotiate new territory every day. What excites me the most is I’m driving new work.

Art is a comment on social change. Live art is a provocation. This way I know that I am at the front creative arts movement. Living on the edge, building new platforms for expression. It’s not up to me which will gain strength and which will be forgotten. By a selective process of tuning in and broadcast, I hope our activities will give the future of British Art, more chance and more choice.

The Invisible Circus - Under the Dark Moon

Creative Common 31st October 2014


Under the Dark Moon is culminating performance of the Bristol Circus Festival, which was curated by the Invisible Circus themselves and has seen a collection of International circus, promenade performance, side show entertainment and live music, presented at the Creative Common over the last seven weeks.

The show presented some breath-taking performances, particularly the Chinese pole routine. This involves walking up an enormous pole and periodically falling off, without smashing onto the floor, all with grace, poise and deep in character. Wow! The slack line performance was clearly an accomplishment and the only disappointment I could note, is that he didn't seem receive as much applause as his female counterparts. Perhaps because we were so ensconced in his portrayal of being lonely and misunderstood, that there was not as obvious a climax moment, to trigger an aural response. Which raises some interesting thoughts, but let me just say his core muscles must be intense.

The show was charming, strange and haunting in gratifying proportions. The big top had been transformed into a veiled white paradise, the colour theming worked beautifully as did the costume and styling. 

Under the Dark Moon was polished and really gave the full package to sell out audiences, over five consecutive nights. All inspired by the aesthetic of 1930s German expressionism.

The narrative followed that of a fairy tale genre, adorned with a little spooky madness and asylum patient-esqe costumes and props to give just enough edge, whilst maintaining a fragile beauty. The plot is an expression of the performers' battle between their 'super-human' representation of themselves, versus the emotional person with human flaws. Which is an interesting subject matter, coming up in conversations with other circus professionals more and more.

A live musical score from The Carny Villains really set off the show, with some fascinating hand-crafted sound effects, which I shan't give away! The interaction between the musicians and with the physical performances was a nice touch. 

I was also really taken with the way that the crew performing the counter balance for the artists on stage, were just about visible. This which I think gives the performance a sort of grass roots authenticity, without over-playing it.

I really enjoyed the show, the production was excellent. A closing speech revealed that the festival had been quite a hefty challenge and that it is unknown at this stage what the future will hold for the pop-up venue at the Creative Common. It has been a delightful place to visit, near to Temple Meads and felt nothing like the car park it sits upon. With a cafe, a bar, pop-up table tennis, plants, ever increasing installation art and kids' activities at the weekends. It would be a pleasure to see it grow and evolve. It would be great to see increased interaction with the wider community.  It's a perfect location to support performance based tourism in Bristol, as well as a leap pad for exporting more physical arts out of the city, one of the most prolific in Europe in terms of producing circus. Well done so far to the team.

Watch this space for developments and opportunities. I will follow the few stages of progress for the Invisible Circus with interest. As well of course, as the pulse of all Bristol's circus and live events.

For bookings and further info visit: 

invisiblecircus.co.uk

creativecommon.co.uk